Review Angry Birds Blast

Gameplay feels too iterative, features an energy system to limit play time

Oh how the mighty have fallen. The Angry Birds franchise is the only mobile game franchise to grow so popular it spawned a movie, and the movie wasn’t actually terrible. It paved the way for a new genre of game to be created that has still yet to see a true competitor. But now the franchise is struggling to stay relevant in the same market that gave it birth with its newest game Angry Birds Blast for Android.

Blast isn’t really your typical match three game because you’re actually only having to match two birds of the same color. And also the birds are more like balloons. It’s an objective based matching game that throws in a bit of a twist. In the same way that you often had to knock down structures to free the birds you were trying to save in the original, Blast makes you match birds to weaken and destroy structures so you can more efficiently save the birds the game requires you to save.

On paper this sounds like a really interesting mechanic, but when played out the game actually feels just like you’re breaking ice in other match three games that use a similar mechanic. And, much like others in the same genre, matching bigger groups of birds grants you power-ups that can be used to give you the advantage.

Unfortunately the game does have its downfalls. Gameplay does end up feeling mundane because the subject matter just doesn’t grasp you enough to convince you this is more than just another match three game. And worse yet, the game only gives you five lives to beat levels before you have to wait for more lives to play again. As I always say, artificially limiting how much your audience can play your game is a terrible way to monetize your game.

Angry Birds Blast is the franchise’s first foray into the match three genre, and while it’s a strong entry in a vacuum, it’s not exactly revolutionary when you take a look at all the other match three games currently on the market.